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Vice-Presidential Debate: Clinton and Trump Weigh In; R.N.C. Declares Victory Before Debate Begins
Who’s Ahead? What You’ve Missed in the Vice-Presidential Debate
(35 minutes later)
The debate on Tuesday night between Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia and Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana may not rival the drama of last week’s face-off between the candidates at the top of the ticket, but it could matter more than other vice-presidential contests. The debate comes at a critical point in the presidential race, with Donald J. Trump reeling from a disastrous week and a new poll showing Hillary Clinton extending her lead in Pennsylvania.
Right Now: Join us for live analysis and video of the only vice-presidential debate between Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia and Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana.
Against that backdrop, two genial and comparatively laid-back politicians, who share a deep religious faith that has shaped their careers, will meet onstage at Longwood University in Farmville, Va., for what will be their only face-to-face of the campaign. For many voters, it might be the first time they have heard from either man since the party conventions this summer.
Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia moved quickly to focus Tuesday’s vice presidential debate on Donald J. Trump’s temperament, concluding his otherwise sunny opening remarks with a stark attack on Mr. Trump. “The thought of Donald Trump as commander in chief,” Mr. Kaine said, “scares us to death.”
Hours before the candidates took the stage, the committee published a blog post declaring Mr. Pence of the victor of the showdown with Mr. Kaine.
Mr. Kaine timed his cut in a way that would require Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, Mr. Trump’s running mate, to either cut short a discussion of his own bona fides or ignore the attack. And even when asked why so many voters distrust Hillary Clinton, Mr. Kaine deflected his answer to focus on Mr. Trump: He argued that Mr. Trump “puts himself first” and criticized the Republican candidate for comparing immigrants to rapists and indulging the discredited notion that President Obama wasn’t born in the United States. He ended with a blunt challenge to Mr. Pence: “I can’t imagine how Governor Pence can defend.”
“The consensus was clear after the dust settled, Mike Pence was the clear winner of the debate,” the R.N.C. wrote, praising his top moments as being Mr. Pence’s discussion of the economy and Hillary Clinton’s scandals.
Mr. Pence at first appeared determined to stick to his own, more positive message: Mr. Trump’s business acumen and the possibilities for economic growth. But he soon dived into his own counterattacks, criticizing Mr. Kaine for raising taxes as governor of Virginia and assailing Mrs. Clinton for the Obama administration’s handling of the Syrian civil war, the rise of ISIS, and the Iran nuclear weapons deal. An exchange of interruptions and crosstalking followed, most initiated by Mr. Kaine, who excitedly delivered attack lines about Mr. Trump’s praise of Putin.
The post was quickly deleted after the party’s presumptuousness was noted on social media.
• Mr. Kaine, noting that he and his wife were the parents of a Marine, said that “the thought of Donald Trump as commander-in-chief scares us to death.” Mr. Pence replied that President Obama’s tenure had weakened the country’s standing in the world.
“I think he has a huge burden,” she told reporters on Tuesday, after a rally in Harrisburg, “defending both his own record and the record of Donald Trump.”
• After Mr. Kaine said that Mr. Trump had “pursued the discredited and really outrageous lie that President Obama wasn’t born in the United States,” Mr. Pence accused the Clinton-Kaine ticket of trafficking in “an avalanche of insults.” When Mr. Pence mentioned Russia, Mr. Kaine cut in. “You guys love Russia!” he said. Mr. Pence, appearing taken back by the interruption, said, “I must have hit a nerve.”
Mrs. Clinton, who plans to watch the vice presidential debate from her home in Chappaqua, N.Y., said she was “very confident” in her running mate, Tim Kaine. She said the two had been emailing about the debate, suggesting that she did not want to interrupt his preparation rhythm with a phone call.
• Mr. Pence, seizing on recent comments from Bill Clinton that appeared to be critical of the Affordable Care Act, said that “even former President Bill Clinton calls Obamacare a crazy plan.” (Mrs. Clinton’s team has moved this week to clarify his remarks, with her husband saying that he always supported the measure and still does.) Mr. Kaine did not immediately respond to the remark, setting off on an answer about Mrs. Clinton’s own economic plans.
“He’s ready to take the fight to the Trump-Pence ticket,” she said, adding, “I think America is going to be very impressed.”
• Deflecting a question about Mr. Trump’s suggestion that he was savvy to avoid paying taxes, Mr. Pence said that his running mate was “a businessman, not a career politician.” Mr. Kaine interjected: “Why won’t he release his tax returns?” Mr. Pence shot back, “We’re answering the question about the business thing.”
Mr. Pence skipped any last minute cram sessions and instead opted to clear his head with a workout and an extended run. He spent the day mostly with just his family, according to his spokesperson, who will be in the debate hall tonight.
Mr. Trump, who was campaigning in Arizona Tuesday, sent “best wishes” to Mr. Pence. He said that the debate will be a “contrast between our campaign of big ideas and bold solutions for tomorrow versus the small and petty Clinton campaign that is totally stuck in the past.”
A Monmouth University survey of Pennsylvania, an important swing state, released on Tuesday found 50 percent of likely voters supporting Mrs. Clinton and 40 percent backing Mr. Trump. In August, Mrs. Clinton held an eight-point lead in Pennsylvania, but an avalanche of political advertising on behalf of her campaign has started to have an effect.
The Monmouth poll attributed Mrs. Clinton’s growing lead to a shift in support from white women, who now back her over Mr. Trump, 55 percent to 35 percent. Previously, the two candidates were deadlocked with that group.
Voters are increasingly seeing Mrs. Clinton as relatable, and, despite Mr. Trump’s claims that he has the best temperament, she is leading him two-to-one in Pennsylvania when it comes to who is seen as having a better temperament to be president.
Some other things we will be watching on Tuesday:
Do not let their physical presence onstage fool you: These two men may serve more as stand-ins for their running mates than as combatants in their own right.
In a conventional race, the vice-presidential candidates might engage in a thorough discussion of each other’s records. But in a campaign defined by two larger-than-life presidential nominees, Mr. Kaine and Mr. Pence are more likely to punch upward, with Mr. Kaine prosecuting the case against Mr. Trump’s temperament and character, and Mr. Pence pressing the message that Mrs. Clinton cannot change Washington the way Mr. Trump can.
Mr. Pence can expect to be challenged on Mr. Trump’s denigrating comments about Alicia Machado, a former Miss Universe; on Mr. Trump’s attacks on Mrs. Clinton’s marriage; and on the prospect that Mr. Trump may have gone nearly two decades without paying federal income taxes. And those are just the hits from last week.
Up to this point, Mr. Pence has proved adept at deflecting questions about Mr. Trump’s incendiary comments, redirecting interviews to rote talking points about shaking up Washington. But a debate is an entirely different format; and as Senator Marco Rubio of Florida found, using the same dodge over and over again can have catastrophic consequences.
The vice presidency is one of the most prominent positions in politics, and one of the least defined. Presidents and vice presidents have enormous latitude to shape the role. The debate is the best chance Mr. Kaine and Mr. Pence have to set out their expectations for the job before one of them takes office.
The Democratic ticket in this race has been more clear in setting out a vision for the vice presidency: Mrs. Clinton has said she chose Mr. Kaine to be a full partner in government, and he has talked about being a close counselor to Mrs. Clinton if she is elected.
For Mr. Pence, there is more space left to fill in on the page. Mr. Trump said he selected the governor in large part to unify the Republican Party, but neither Republican has offered a clear vision for how Mr. Pence would function in government, an important question, particularly given Mr. Trump’s lack of experience in office.
In the first debate between Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton, there was no discussion of abortion, contraception, gay rights or religious liberty — issues that define so much of American politics. In part, that is because Mr. Trump has never shown much enthusiasm for these issues. Mr. Pence and Mr. Kaine are different.
A Christian conservative, Mr. Pence is a longtime opponent of abortion and a champion of defunding Planned Parenthood. As governor, he signed and then scaled back an Indiana law that was widely criticized as opening the door to discrimination against gay men and lesbians by private businesses. While Mr. Kaine, a liberal Catholic, has ample opportunities to brand Mr. Pence as being too far to the right, he may also have to defend his strong opposition to the death penalty and mixed views on abortion.
In a brutal political contest between candidates who hurl insults and point fingers, Mr. Pence and Mr. Kaine have tended to take a different approach. They have been forceful advocates of their running mates, but both men have been likened to sitcom dads for their good humor and overall gentleness — especially, in Mr. Pence’s case, in contrast to the Republican presidential nominee.
The debate on Tuesday will put those nice-guy images to their most strenuous test. It could potentially be a surreal viewing experience, after the rowdy first presidential debate, to see the records and credentials of Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton picked over in a well-mannered conversation. But even nice guys hit their limits, and a nationally televised debate might represent just that moment for Mr. Pence or Mr. Kaine.
Take our quiz.
■ Start time: 9 p.m. Eastern
■ Duration: About 90 minutes
■ Moderator: Elaine Quijano of CBS News
■ Airing on TV: ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, Fox Business Network, Fox News, MSNBC, NBC and others.
■ Streaming online: We think nytimes.com is a pretty good place to turn to.
